Time running out for Kavanaugh accuser to talk, say Republicans

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reassured Republicans that Judge Brett Kavanaugh ― President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick now facing a sexual assault accusation ― will soon take his place on the highest court in the nation. In the call, she said Ford needs time to secure her family, prepare her testimony and travel to Washington.

Yesterday Ford, through her lawyers, offered to appear next week – after a days-long standoff with committee Chairman Sen.

“It’s shenanigans”, said Cordes, an independent who voted for President Donald Trump and lives in the suburbs south of Denver. After my first ten cases, the ache in my stomach would come like clockwork as I sat down to open a sexual assault file for the first time. In a letter of his own, Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley declined to postpone, arguing that it was the responsibility of the committee, not the FBI, to investigate the allegation, and that hearing her testimony was a crucial step in that process that should not be delayed.

Trump’s outburst saw a new #MeToo era hashtag storm the internet, with #WhyIDidntReport the top trending conversation starter on US Twitter, as people – mostly women – vented outrage over past transgressions and voiced solidarity with Ford. Her colleagues and Republicans both have criticized her for the way she has handled this situation.

Ford’s lawyers continue to say that they want a full FBI investigation to take place before Ford will testify.

“The rush to a hearing is unnecessary, and contrary to the Committee discovering the truth”, Ms Banks wrote. However, Judge’s testimony would allow the Committee to determine if Judge is claiming that he is certain Ford’s account of events did not happen.

Why did the Senate set a deadline? According to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, a majority of rapes and other sexual assaults are not reported to police. The Republicans have manufactured a “he said / she said” standoff and are using their own handiwork to make good on a promise to stack the Supreme Court with conservative judges.

The committee’s chairman, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, said in a statement that the panel would hold a vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation on Monday unless a deal was reached with Ford’s lawyers by 10 p.m. EDT on Friday (0200 GMT Saturday).

But they’re eager to avoid the spectacle of 11 Republican men cross-examining a woman who says she’s been victimized by a man. Scared and alone on the street with nothing in her pockets, Fagen said she ran into Kavanaugh, who made sure she got home safely. “I sincerely hope that Dr Ford will accept my invitation to do so, either privately or publicly, on Monday”. Judge Kavanaugh can not be expected to respond to allegations that have been made to the press.

Put another way: A woman accused a Supreme Court nominee of drunkenly pinning her to a bed, groping her and covering her mouth when she screamed when they were in high school decades ago.

Kavanaugh has said he wants to deny Ford’s accusation in sworn testimony, and as soon as possible.

What are Trump and other Republicans saying?

In his tweets, Trump continued to strongly defend Kavanaugh as “a fine man, with an impeccable reputation” as he voiced mounting frustration with the roiled confirmation process.

Her office released an audio recording to Politico in which she said: “I was appalled by the president’s tweet”.

“If she shows up, that would be wonderful”.

Just 9 percent of Democrats support Kavanaugh’s confirmation, compared with 70 percent of Republicans.

Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, who faces a tough reelection battle in Missouri, which Trump won in the 2016 presidential election, said on Twitter on Wednesday that she would vote against Kavanaugh’s confirmation because of “his positions on several key issues, most importantly the avalanche of dark, anonymous money that is crushing our democracy”.